Welcome to Deep Retail Engagement.

Our capabilities

When shoppers feel a genuine emotional connection with a brand, it drives consideration, purchase and recommendation. At Two West, we use our specialized expertise to forge real and meaningful bonds between brands and consumers.

The in-store experience

In-store marketing is more than great signage. It's the whole experience of shopping — from what makes a store window first catch a shopper's eye, to the way it feels to walk out with that shopping bag. We do it all, including environmental design, sales associate training, branded media networks and more, and it all helps transform a location into an experience. Even waiting in line can become part of the joy.

Digital

We do digital. On any kind of screen from pocket-sized smartphones to colossal signs in Times Square, when we add motion to a limited space, we add the limitless dimension of time. It lets us unfold a story to engage — and interact with — a mesmerized audience.

Brand localization

Even a national chain needs to connect with consumers in stores' local areas. Tailoring a store experience to a region, city or neighborhood — while leveraging the brand's equity — is a specialty of ours. From our COMPASS intelligent consumer insights tool to field activation and turnkey retailer Web kits, we have the expertise and proprietary technology to help you communicate with impact at a local level.

Broadcast and production

Something happens when you reach consumers with your message on the air. They tune in. We offer full broadcast production services including TV and radio, as well as original music composition, 3D animation, in-store and online video demos, and more.

Branding

Your brand isn't just a label on your product. It is your product. We'll help make your brand a name people want to say and recommend, a package they can't resist picking up, a story, an emotional response, a familiar landmark, a fond memory — something worth sharing and talking about. Our services include identity, naming, strategy and positioning, advertising, collateral, websites and more.

About Us

ApproachValuesPhilosophyBrando

Ripple

We begin with scanning the waters for opportunity. The insights from clients and shoppers guide us.

Swell

Armed with insights, we form an unstoppable strategic idea.

Surf

We turn momentum into activation through significant, surprising and spectacular moments.

Adaptability

Times change. Markets change. Two West evolves. We think ahead — embracing new technologies and new methodologies to give our clients a competitive edge.

Simplicity

At Two West, we choose the simple solution over the complicated. Clear communications, concise strategies and singular goals produce the greatest value.

Collaboration

Maximize potential. Multiply results. At Two West, we strive to create synergy through positive, productive relationships with our coworkers, clients and communities.

Strategy

Two West plays it smart and plays to win. Everything we do starts with a plan. A plan that solves the problem — efficiently, effectively and ingeniously.

Initiative

Mix action and accountability and you've got initiative. No matter the task, we use unbreakable focus and relentless effort, giving our best in everything we do.

Deep retail engagement

In the world of retail marketing, there lies a vast sea of sameness. To break the surface, you have to make waves. We believe emotions are energy. They can power decisions and compel action. They drive the machinery of retail commerce. And currents of emotion can be channeled to generate a powerful wave of retail momentum, compelling shoppers to purchase. What begins as a ripple, when a shopper encounters the brand, swells through the entire customer journey, from awareness to activation to advocacy.

Why the monkey?

Brando the Monkey is our creative alter ego. He's more than a mascot. He's our spirit animal. Brando reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously, to have more fun and to stay curious. After all, creativity is born out of play, nurtured by wonder and liberated by humor. Too often these important mindsets are ignored in business. So Brando reminds us to use our monkey sense to solve problems, shape opportunities and inspire each other.

David Patrick,Chief Strategy Officer

Dave has a long history of moving small circular objects around. A former golf pro and currently an avid hockey player, Dave flipped burgers for McDonald's in five different restaurant locations during his early youth. Later in life Dave would once again serve McDonald's, but in a much different capacity — as the account lead on the Happy Birthday Big Mac campaign that debuted during the 1990 Superbowl, McDonald's most successful promotion in its history at the time.

Other brands Dave has worked with include Ace Hardware, Applebee's, Beauty Brands, Bridgestone Firestone, Burger King, Citgo, Kellogg, KemperSports, Kraft, Kroger Supermarkets, LG, Miller Lite, Oldsmobile, PGA, Payless ShoeSource, Procter and Gamble, Service Merchandise, Sprint and Toys R Us. Dave is a member of the Global Retail Marketing Association and serves on the advisory boards of the University of Missouri Kansas City Alumni Association and BizHive. And if you ever need someone to move a golfball, hockey puck or Big Mac, Dave's your man.

Ethan Whitehill,Chief Executive Officer

Ethan's background sounds like the secret identity of a superhero. The son of a Zen meditation master and a fire-baton twirling majorette, Ethan studied kyudo (Japanese archery) as a kid and now practices German longsword fighting. He founded Two West in 1997, ahead of the digital curve, and has worked with several Fortune 1000 and Forbes 500 clients, including H&R Block, Hallmark, Holiday Inn, Honda, LG, MillerCoors and Sprint.

Honors over the years range from #5 in the Promo 100, Retailer Specialist category, to Design of the Times (gold), Telly awards and the DSA Crown Awards. Under his superhuman leadership Two West rose to Inc. magazine's top 100 inner-city company list, and the agency has been listed among Kansas City's 100 fastest growing companies for six consecutive years. When he's not developing deep engagement strategies or serving on the board of directors for DeLaSalle Education Center and Kansas City Public Television, you can find Ethan crouching on Two West's rooftop in a cape and a mask, scanning the skyline for clients in need of a hero.

Lou Thurmon,Chief People Officer

If not for a fork in the road, you might have elected Lou to congress. Despite early aspirations for a career in politics, her path ultimately led her to make a difference in another way, as a development officer for national and international nonprofits.

Lou's background includes training in anthropology, sociology and qualitative research methodologies. In other words, she has profound insight into what motivates people, what makes them tick, and what makes them want to buy, give and advocate. She is a skilled trendspotter and an expert on retail point-of-sale and point-of-wait strategies. She's worked with such brands such as the American Heart Association, MillerCoors, H&R Block, Belkin and many more. In a way, it's a shame Lou didn't go into politics. As a Certified Change Management Practitioner, she has expertise that is badly needed in Washington. But at Two West, we feel very fortunate she chose the path that led to us instead.

Steve Spencer,Chief Creative Officer

Originally a marine biology major in college, Steve traded his love of cephalopods and jellyfish for his other true passion – writing. Ask the clients he's worked with since and they'll tell you it was a great decision.

Steve's work has been featured in the CLIO, Archive, National ADDYS, Radio Mercury Finalist, New York Festivals, London International Awards, Telly, Print, Adweek's Best Spots, Mobius and the Super Bowl. His diverse account experience is also an impressive mix having led and created work for American Airlines, Bank of America, Blue Bunny Ice Cream, Casey's General Stores, Citgo, Coleman, GTE, JC Penney, LG, Long John Silvers, Make a Wish Foundation, Marmot, Missouri Lottery, Paramount Theme Parks, Payless ShoeSource, Quaker State, Rawlings, Sonic, Sporting Kansas City, Sprint, Subaru, Weight Watchers, Yoplait and more.

When he's not cranking at the office, you'll find Steve playing drums in two local bands, hanging with his family, or dropping a hook in his favorite fishing hole.

Tom Tholen,Chief Customer Engagement Officer

Tom almost wore a Cardinal's hat. No, not the headwear of the guys who elect the pope (although that is a great hat). In a former life, Tom passed up an opportunity to play baseball as a St. Louis Cardinal, opting instead to become a retail marketing expert.

Tom has worn many other hats in his career — web developer, writer, manager — working on national brands in banking, cars, pet food, people food and many more industries. And Tom delivers results. At GE Capital, he led a retail marketing project that delivered over $1 billion ROI in its first year. He's achieved impressive results for lots of other top brands including Hallmark, CommunityAmerica Credit Union, Toyota, Red Bull, Sprint, Pizza Hut, Hill's Pet Nutrition, LG Electronics, Houlihan's, Panera Bread and more. Tom may have turned down a pro baseball career, but he continues to knock it out of the park. No matter what hat he's wearing.

Mark Lopez,Chief Innovation Officer

Mark has always been ahead of the technological curve. For example, he created one of the first ecommerce stores back in 1992. In case you don't recall that far back or perhaps hadn't been born yet, 1992 was the year pictures first appeared on the Internet.

At Two West, Mark leads his digital team in creating websites and mobile apps for Sprint, LG, The Roasterie and other clients. As a director for H&R Block, Mark supported 16 business units and managed about four thousand web pages. At Lee Jeans, he turned an underperforming website into an award-winning and highly profitable sales channel. Lee's revenue increased by more than 750 percent in just two years, and attitudes toward selling jeans online underwent a dramatic reversal at the company. For Mark, no job is too big, no goal is too high, and no high-tech business idea is too far out.

Angela Potts,Managing Director — Brand Localization

You wouldn't know this to look at her: Angela is quite fond of food. Very fond of it. Really. Maybe it's from 10 years working in restaurants early in life. When she wasn't busy cooking or eating, Angela found time to gain expertise in marketing.

Angela has lent her talents to several brands including H&R Block, Sprint, Embarq, Bank of Oklahoma Financial, The Roasterie and others. She has in-depth experience in retail banking and tax services, especially for U.S. Latino consumer segments. At Applebee's headquarters, she successfully led a small but scrappy team in an intense, against-the-odds drive to help the company's restaurants meet an aggressive year-end sales goal — with only four months to achieve it. She's always on the lookout for ways to improve efficiencies, as reflected in her favorite quote, from Thomas Edison: "There is a better way to do it. Find it." Her colleagues often hear her utter this, between bites.

Chris Brulatour,Research and Planning Director

Former NY Port Authority forklift operator Chris is no stranger to heavy lifting. He's partly responsible for millions of Americans learning to lift a Corona bottle. While working at the brand's first U.S. agency, Dawson, Johns & Black in Chicago, he helped introduce the Mexican beer to an appreciative American audience.

Robben Roesler,Associate Creative Director

Robben is an award-winning art director and a continuous source of entertainment to his co-workers. The primary reason for the latter is his penchant for pulling pranks on colleagues — like the time he relocated someone's entire office, item by item, into a bathroom.

If it sounds like he puts a lot of effort into his practical jokes, you should see the effort he's put into his work with such brands as Boulevard Beer, Cerner, Chinet, ConocoPhillips, Edward Jones, Embassy Suites, H&R Block, Hallmark, Hill's, Holiday Inn, Hyatt, Kellogg's, LG, Mercedes Benz, Payless Shoes, Red Bull, Sprint, The Weather Channel and more. When he's not busy earning payback from his colleagues, Robben enjoys the outdoors, playing tennis, reading The Onion, building things, and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Jody Flaherty,Studio Director

Jody's unquenchable thirst for adventure has led to several arrests. (Kidding. She never gets caught.) A woman of many creative talents, Jody is a brilliant artist, a passable karaoke singer and an outstanding cook. Her homemade mushroom soup will set you free.

Jody has lent her considerable creative talents to brands such as Bayer, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Colgate, Hallmark, Hill's Pet Nutrition, LG, The Roasterie and Sprint. When she's not working, painting, singing or cooking, she can often be found exploring empty lots and old abandoned places with her metal detector — with or without permission.

Sharla Gabriel,Director, Digital Screen Media

"We adore chaos because we love to produce order." Sharla's favorite quote, from M.C. Escher, fits her so well she could have said it herself. She excels at leading her team of motion graphics experts to create stunningly beautiful order from chaos, every day.

Since starting her advertising career as a front desk assistant, Sharla has worked her way up the agency ladder — rung by hard-earned rung — along the way creating order for brands including Blue Bunny Ice Cream, Build-a-Bear, Citgo, The Coffee Bean, Edward Jones, Fort Dodge Animal Health, Hallmark, Kansas Lottery, LG, Lee, Missouri Lottery, Payless, The Roasterie, Sonic, Sprint, State Farm, Susan G. Komen, Time Warner Cable and UMB.

Communityinvolvement

At Two West, our corporate responsibility efforts support three broad priorities: People, Prosperity and Planet. Our mission: Be the Good Guy. The Two West Foundation funds matching donations for employees who contribute to charitable causes, especially those that benefit children and primary education, provide access to food, or support quality healthcare for community members in need.

deep community involvement

Harvesters

KCPT

Kansas City's public television station, partners with Two West to promote quality TV and radio programming for our community. Most recently we provided pro bono services to help brand and launch its new radio station The Bridge.

DeLaSalle Education Center

DeLaSalle Education Center is an alternative high school for at-risk students. Two West worked with DeLaSalle to help create their brand identity and started the Annual Pumpkin Patch, a family-oriented fundraiser for the school that's now in its tenth year. We also provide volunteers and create the invitations and collateral for the school's annual major benefit. Our CEO Ethan Whitehill serves on the board of directors.

Employer Assisted Housing

To support the revitalization of our urban core and entrepreneurism, Two West sponsors an Employer Assisted Housing program for team members moving into a five-mile radius of our headquarters in The Crossroads.

We're also green.

Two West produces solar power on our rooftop via a 25kW system. We generate enough electricity to take two typical houses off the grid.